Oyet Nathaniel, the acting chairman of South Sudan’s main opposition party, the SPLM-IO, has arrived in the United States for a high-level visit as the country’s 2018 peace agreement is at risk of collapse.
The visit, confirmed by senior party officials, comes amid an escalation of violence in northern Jonglei and the ongoing trial of the group’s leader, Dr. Riek Machar.
Dr. Isaac K. Gang, a senior SPLM-IO official based in the U.S., told Radio Tamazuj that Nathaniel arrived on Friday following a formal congressional invitation.
During his multi-week stay, he is expected to brief members of Congress, officials from the Trump administration and United Nations agencies, he added.
Dr. Gang said the acting chairman is in Washington to update relevant stakeholders on the stalled implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, the humanitarian crisis and what he described as a blockade.
He pointed out that the meetings will also focus on the detention and trial of Dr. Riek Machar, who has been under house arrest since March 2025.
Beyond the legal proceedings in Juba, Dr. Gang said Nathaniel will discuss the inclusive dialogue recently advocated by the African Union, the C5 and other international bodies to prevent a total return to civil war.
Dr. Gang noted that the visiting opposition leader also plans to engage with think tanks and members of the South Sudanese diaspora who are seeking clarity on the nation’s deteriorating political climate.
“He will also meet South Sudanese communities and members of SPLM-IO who are interested in learning more about the issues he is going to discuss,” he said.
Violence in Jonglei
The diplomatic mission by the opposition official coincides with a sharp increase in military activity back home. The SPLM-IO is currently engaged in active combat with the SSPDF, the national army.
The fighting has been particularly intense in northern Jonglei, where an estimated 280,000 civilians have been displaced across Uror, Nyirol and Akobo counties and other nearby areas.
In a move that has deeply alarmed the international community, the SSPDF on Friday ordered United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian workers to vacate the town of Akobo within 72 hours.
Military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said the withdrawal was necessary for a new phase of “Operation Enduring Peace,” a campaign the opposition describes as a direct violation of the standing ceasefire.
A peace deal on the brink
The 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement was designed to end years of brutal civil conflict. However, monitoring bodies now warn the deal is at serious risk of collapse. The sidelining of opposition leaders, the failure to integrate security forces and the recent offensive in Jonglei have left the transition in a state of paralysis.
For many observers, Nathaniel’s visit to Washington represents a last-ditch effort to secure the international pressure necessary to salvage a peace process that is rapidly unravelling.